Book Review - The trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare

Lin Hui is studying at Queen's University but has amassed many expensive items; after a threatening phone call, she packs a bag and walks out of her life. How does a scholarship student from China have so many expensive clothes, shoes, handbags, and pieces of jewelry? 

Alina Balauru is a teenager living in Romania with her parents. Their farm is barren, and they are lucky to get a few vegetables daily from the dry earth. The family lives on cheap bones and makes soup with whatever they can harvest. They are malnourished, but other work is scarce. When a smartly dressed stranger stops his car to ask for directions and suggests he may be able to find Alina work in the UK, the family sees this as their salvation. 

In Ireland, three days later, Detective Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan is called out to a house where the body of a young woman has been found. A syringe is lying near the body. However, it is unclear whether she has overdosed or been murdered. Where do Lin and Alina fit into this scenario? Is the body one of these girls? Is it a suicide or murder? Did Lin or Alina assist in the death? Read The Trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare to find the answers to these questions.

At the beginning of the book, there is a list of the characters in this story with details of any quirks they might have. There is also a list of acronyms used by the Police in Northern Ireland. I found these lists a convenient reference while reading The Trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare. I enjoyed this absorbing novel. O'Hare has extensively researched people trafficking in Northern Ireland, evident in The Trafficking Murders O'Hare's fifth book in The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series. 

Every day, worldwide, girls and young women go missing. Vile, sadistic, and evil people force these girls into prostitution and domestic slavery. O'Hare intertwines his research on trafficking with his unique style of storytelling. I felt a range of emotions but especially anger towards the men who use these women as commodities and deep sadness for the women whose lives are ruined. 

I would recommend The Trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare to adults who enjoy murder mysteries and crime thrillers. I enjoyed that there are lots of twists and turns which keep you guessing, but by the end of the book, everything has been explained, and there are no loose ends. 

I want to give The Trafficking Murders 5 out of 5 stars. There are some grammatical errors, but they did not spoil my enjoyment. I disliked nothing about this book; I immersed myself in Brian O'Hare's exceptional edge-of-the-seat crime thriller. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I want to thank Brian O'Hare for a copy of The Trafficking Murders in exchange for my honest and impartial review. You can see more of my reviews here http://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tara-d-morgan.html

Book Review - The Daughter In Law by Nina Manning

 

The Daughter In Law is a psychological thriller and the debut novel by Nina Manning. The story begins with Annie, who has not had the best deal in life. Her husband walked out on her when she was heavily pregnant, leaving Annie to be a single mother to her only child, Ben. Annie does not want to live in the house she and her husband bought. She moves into an isolated seaside cottage she inherited from her drunken father. Annie does not want to share her child with anyone and thinks this is the perfect place to bring Ben up. She loves their life together and enjoys keeping him close to her.

Ben and Daisy have had a quiet wedding ceremony after a whirlwind affair and finding out that Daisy is pregnant. Ben and Daisy are entirely in love. Ben has moved into the flat, which Daisy shares with her best friend Eve. They all get on well and are enjoying life. When Ben takes his wife to meet her mother-in-law, Annie struggles to understand why he needs anyone else. Daisy does not get a warm welcome from her mother-in-law. Annie is distraught that the couple has married in secret. Wouldn't any parent be?

When the flat Daisy and Ben share erupts in a gas explosion killing Eve, with nowhere else to go, they move in with Annie. However, the house is no longer warm and cosy Annie believes she recognises Daisy's face from somewhere. Searching the internet for information, she finds what she needs and prints it out to show Ben. Ben confronts Daisy and wants to know the truth about her. What is Daisy hiding? Will Daisy be safe? Are Annie's motives more sinister than trying to look out for her son?

Annie and Daisy tell their stories in alternate chapters in the first person, bringing a personal perspective to the plot. Their thoughts draw us into their confused minds abyss with equally complicated narratives. And then there is Grace, who shares her own remarkable story. Who is she? Furthermore, where does she fit in?

With each chapter, the story unfolds, delivering new shocking revelations that make 'The Daughter In Law' by Nina Manning a compelling and intriguing read you will not want to put down. The characters are complex, emotionally damaged, but entirely believable. It is easy to empathise with Daisy in her predicament from which she cannot escape. She is grieving, and she is missing her husband. Additionally, her hormones are playing havoc with her emotions, making her easy prey for the mother-in-law from hell. This is a fast-moving roller coaster of a thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the end and leaves you wanting more!

I want to give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Nina Manning excels in this genre and is an author to watch out for. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next. I highly recommend this to adults who enjoy page-turning, twisted psychological thrillers.